


Raava

by Drowmonk



Series: Vampire!Asami AU [3]
Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: F/F, Fantasy, Gen, Horror, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-17
Updated: 2015-11-02
Packaged: 2018-04-26 17:21:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,119
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5013322
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Drowmonk/pseuds/Drowmonk
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Starts twenty years after the death of Korra, Asami her lover and a vampire is alone in the world having lost her soulmate. Everything changes suddenly and drastically when she meets a young werewolf shaman, Raava.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prolog

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first half of this chapter is a re-post of a chapter of one of my one-shots in this series. The second half is the true prolog, it finishes the "Asami" part of the story to "pass the torch" to Raava, whose PoV we will use after starting the next chapter.
> 
> After reading this prolog you will see there will be almost no characters from LoK to draw from, so this will pretty much a "original" fic, with some callouts to LoK and featuring Asami and a mortal Raava. If that's not something you're interested in I understand, and feel free to pass this fic by, I don't blame you at all. :)
> 
> For everyone who is interested, enjoy. And I look forward to your thoughts.

I wake up and panic that I'm alone. Then I remember that Korra died two decades ago from old age, ninety seven. Even after all this time I miss her dearly, I cry myself to sleep most mornings. The hunters that are still around just know me as the "Dark Avenger" without seeing me as a person. None of them knew me before I gained my new form. Mako, Bolin, Tonraq, Tenzin, Kya, Jinora, Ikki, Rohan, and Meelo, they are all gone. 

I get out of bed and don my leather harness, I stopped wearing dresses ages ago, too impractical. Harness over my breasts, leather loincloth over the groin, I worry that I don't act human enough sometimes, dressing like this. But I stopped caring to pretend to not be a monster after Korra died. The young hunters all fear me as much as they respect me, those that knew me before Korra died give me space and for a few years even offered sympathy for my loss. But humans have life measured in decades, so they stopped thinking I needed help with my grief.

For me her loss still stings like the night it happened. I thank whatever spirits or gods allowed me to be there for her as she left this world. I remember looking into her faded blue eyes and I saw the moment she was no longer there. She died with a smile on her face, it's the way she lived, always with a smile, my love. I keep her ashes in our room, in a blue urn. Except for the small amount I keep in the metal vial on the chain around my neck. I touch it now as I descend the stairs and head out to find the roving pack of Werewolves that's been taking the unwary.

I head outside and quickly take flight, I've gotten good at flying over the decades. Soon I'm above the woods and hear the howls of the pack as it has found new prey. I descend on them, but I'm too late, the three rogue males are eating a young man. I grab the one eating his belly and sink my teeth into his neck before he knows he's been grabbed. I take no pleasure in the rush of life that flows into me.

The other two turn to attack me, I snap the neck of the first and sink my teeth into the third. I toss their bodies to the side, and then I close the terrified dead eyes of the lad. Fuck! I wish I could hunt earlier, he would have been fine if I had gotten here an hour ago. I hear crying behind me, I turn to see a snow white female Werewolf crying over the bodies of the ones I've killed. She looks up at me, her blue eyes full of grief and fear.

"Dark Mistress!" She reverts to a human form, her skin as white as her hair, she bows in respect to me. "I told them not to betray our pact! That if they craved the hunt, they should follow you and hunt monsters that can't control themselves. My elders have always spoken in awed fear of you, my lady of the night."

So that's where these wolves came from, that pack I spared when this form was still new to me. This white wolf girl feels... Odd to me, familiar. "What is your name, wolf?"

She looks up in fear and awe, "Raava, my lady. I am the shaman of our pack."

Her answer surprises me, she looks too young to be a leader in the pack. "How old are you Raava?"

She starts to stand, but keeps her head bowed, "I am nearly twenty, mistress of the night."

I look into her blue eyes and see something there, a fire, a deep passion. I remember these eyes! She has Korra's eyes! No, I'm projecting my grief onto her. Just because she's the right age to be a reincarnation, doesn't make her my lost lover. "How is it you're the shaman of your pack? You seem too young to have the training."

She gets a sideways smile before forcing her face to be more neutral, Korra had that same grin. "I was trained since I was a pup." She grabs her hair, "This white hair and fur without albinism is thought to make one strong in our magics. It's also a sign that I was a strong warrior in my past life, one that fought for justice and should be rewarded with a life lived without violence."

I start crying, maybe she is her, my Korra, my lover. How cruel of fate to place this naive young woman before me like this. She sees my tears and steps forward, but stops when she remembers who I am. I'm the fucking monster her people tell horror stories about, I'm the worst thing in this world. "I'm sorry, young shaman. I'll leave you to your grief, I need to find this boy's family."

She nods sadly, "Of course, mistress. The pack lives just west of here, you should visit us tomorrow night. Make sure that others remember you, so that I don't have to bury more than these three."

I contemplate saying "no", but I feel a need in my soul, tarnished as it is, to find out more about this young woman. If she's really my Korra reincarnated, then I want to know. I want to keep her safe, give her that life of peace her people want for her. "I will see what I can do, Raava. I'm sorry it came to this tonight."

She nods again, "I am too, I tried to stop them sooner, but they don't listen to me. I'm their age, the old shaman they listened to, before she died. I still need to prove myself in the pack's eyes."

God damn it! She's even sounding like Korra now. That same sense of "I know what I'm doing, don't fucking try and stop me" that I loved in her. We part ways and I deliver the boy to his family at a nearby farmhouse. They thank me for killing the monsters that did this to him. People have gotten used to seeing me as a protector, you can't go around killing monsters for a century without the story getting out. I wish they would show more care, I can still feel the monster in me banging on it's cage. Without Korra, she's louder than she's ever been.

I head back to base and report the death of the boy and his killers, people thank me for a job well done and bow as I pass. They don't see me as a person anymore, everyone that saw me as that died not long after Korra. I bathe and climb into bed, images of the white haired wolf keep entering my mind. I cry thinking I may have found her again, I shouldn't think like that. But I feel what I feel, her manner was more humble, but her eyes showed the same fire that Korra had. I will go to her pack tomorrow and see her again, I need to know.

\----------

I'm flying out to Raava's pack, I decide to wear a shirt for once, and some loose pants. I don't want to look like I'm ready for war, but Werewolves aren't a very formal people. So basic clothing will be fine, I hope that they listen to me again. The last time I visited them was when I killed their alpha and all of their eldest, save the brood mother. I can't imagine what kind of horror stories they tell about me.

I spot their village/camp and fly down, I land just outside and walk into their area as if I rule them like a queen. They all shy away in fear or bow down before me, I hate being feared like this. But it's necessary to keep them in line. Or at least it was a hundred years ago. I spot Raava in human form standing by the center of the village, she's wearing a leather dress. She turns and smiles when she sees me, she's the first to not react in fear since I came into the village. She bows her head, "Welcome, Asami Sato, Mistress of the Night and Herald of Justice."

I nod my head regally, "I thank you for the invitation, I regret what I had to do the last time I met your people. I also regret the deaths of the three last night, in the same way I regret the deaths of their victims."

Raava nods sadly, "It is the way of our world that death be met with more death. It is my hope that with your aid we may never again have to balance the scales of life in such a way."

I smile at her words, it's something Korra would have said, if she were a woman of words and not deeds. "I wish for such a world, where I would be permitted to fade."

With our words of peace the tension seems to lessen and some of the pups escape the adults and curiously rush towards me. They sniff at my legs and yip at me. I smile and crouch down and pet a little male one on the head, he leans into my claw without fear. I tear up a little at how innocent and accepting these pups are. They haven't heard the stories about me yet, they just think me a strange creature. I feel even more sure of my decision a century ago to spare the young ones last time.

Raava joins me as a frantic mother pulls the litter away from me, I give a last scratch behind the little guy's ear, and send him on his way. Raava smiles at me, "Thank you for coming, I know you didn't have to."

I nod and wipe the tears from my eyes, "Yes I did, I should have done this sooner. I shouldn't be just a symbol of death to your people, I should be a friend in peace aswell." I look around at the wolves, some are in their lupine form, some are human, and others in between. They all wear minimal clothing or none at all, I can understand that. I feel overdressed wearing a shirt and pants.

Raava is looking at me looking at her people, she smiles, "Would you like to talk to any of them? I can introduce you to anyone you want to talk to." She blushes a little, but with her unusual white skin it shows as a bright red on her pale face.

I smile at her, "Actually I'd like to talk to you more, about your faith and your belief in reincarnation." She blushes even deeper, making her whole face glow red.

"Me? But I'm so young, surely an elder?"

I gently pat her shoulder, "You'll do fine Raava, I like you, you remind me of somebody I lo-" I change the word. "Lost. She believed in peace and fought to make it real. I'd like to talk to you, if you will let me."

She twists her hands nervously, then nods and motions for me to follow her. She leads me to a small hut with herbs hung all around and something boiling on the fire in the middle. "Sorry it's a mess, but as shaman I have to make the medicines and tend wounds." She gestures to the herbs and the boiling pot. "Please, have a seat wherever, make yourself at home."

I smile and sit cross legged near the fire, I like the heat, it makes me feel less like I'm dead. She is sweating and looks uncomfortable this close to the fire but she sits next to me anyway. "You don't have to sit this close if you don't want to Raava, and you don't have to be formal around me. I want to get to know your people better, I can't do that if you're uncomfortable being yourself."

She nods and backs away from the fire, she's still hot and removes her dress. She sits back down opposite the fire from me. "Thank you Asami, I feel better like this, safer. I can change at a moments notice." I nod in understanding, as the pack's healer she needs to be ready to rush to trouble at any moment, removing clothes she might be wearing would take time and hinder that.

"So what can you tell me about your case specifically, do you have any memories of your past life?"

She thinks before answering, "Sometimes, when I'm dreaming, I see humans all around me. Then other times I feel the touch of a lover's embrace, gentle and kind." She blushes, "I know that is a past life and not based on my own memories, I've not yet taken a lover. I've been interested, but they all avoid me, because of how I look and what I've been trained for. They think they're beneath me, unworthy of my attention." She looks sad, I want to hug her and make her feel better. 

Korra or not, I want to make her happy. She's far too kind for this world, "I'm sorry to hear that Raava. I know what it's like to be alone." I push down the emotions that come from saying that word, "What can you tell me about how your people know your past life was a warrior?"

She smiles at that and looks happier, "Well, that is part of our magic. Some of us can see into the past lives of those just born, and always, without fail, white furred pups are warriors who fought for peace." I smile at her and motion for her to continue, "Well, as you can see, I'm white furred, but it's not albinism, my eyes are dark blue. I'm happy to know that I'm blessed to live a life of peace after one spent fighting. I like to live each moment, truly experience life. I want to reward who I used to be, make my life a happy one for them. So that their struggles were worth the cost."

"That's good to hear, I'm sure that she appreciates that."

Raava looks at me in surprise. Shit! I said "she" stupid, stupid! "How did you know I was a woman before? Most warriors are male."

Stupid, stupid! "Lucky guess?" Lame answer! You're smarter than this!

She shakes her head, "I don't think so. You haven't asked about my people, except in relation to me. You know my past life was a woman, and you can't stop looking at my eyes. You knew my past life! You knew Korra!"

If my heart was beating it would have just stopped, I start openly crying into my claws. It's really Her! I found my blue eyed angel again! She's right here in front of me! The body is new, but the soul is the same. Oh my love!

I look up, I see her smiling at me through my tears, "It's okay, Asami. You were close to her weren't you?" I nod, my throat is sealed up due to my sobbing. "I wondered why I wasn't more afraid of you. Why you made me nervous and excited." She sits down next to me and puts her hands on mine. "It's not often that one ever meets their friends and loved ones from a past life. I'd love to know more about her, to know who she was to you."

I shake my head, and she frowns, "I-I want to tell you, truly." My tears start coming again, "B-but I still grieve for her. She was the love of my life, my savior. The one who let me feel like I'm not a monster."

I look into the blue pools of light that are her eyes, the same eyes of my lost love, looking back at me again after all this time. She starts crying and I pull her into a hug without thinking. She rubs my back and even scratches the base of my wings, just the way I like, just like Korra used to do, to calm me down. "Shh, I understand. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked so much of you so soon. I can't imagine what this is like for you."

I shake my head, "It's wonderful, it's overwhelming, I'm a mess, I love her so much Raava, it hurts my soul!"

She nods against my shoulder, "I feel it too, I feel like I've done this hundreds of times. Like this is the safest place in the world, in your arms."

We can't talk after that, words are pointless, we know we've found our soul mates again. Only a Vampire knows how truly precious that is, how fleeting. We hold each other for hours, then we talk for a few more. I know I should leave, but I can't be away from Her again. The name is Raava, but the person is Korra.

I sigh and look at the sky, "It's going to be light soon, if I don't find shelter I'll turn to dust in the light."

She smiles at me, "You don't have to. I can change you, make you different."

I raise an eyebrow at her, "Change me how?"

She turns into a beautiful white wolf, and speaks with magic into my mind, _"I can make you mortal Asami, give you your life back. You just have to trust me, believe that I mean you no harm, no matter what."_

She's Korra, I trust her completely. "I do, Raava, Korra. My soul mate, my rock, my everything."

_"Then hold still, I'll make this quick."_

I sit still as she rushes forward, her teeth sink into my chest. I don't even scream as the pain hits me, the beast inside me shatters it's cage, it doesn't want to leave. I rebuke it, shame it for all the centuries of death and pointlessness. It recoils in shock more than fear, how dare I think like that? How dare I reject the gift of eternal life?

Gift? I was fucking raped! If you can't understand that, you slimy monster, then you don't deserve to be a part of me any longer! I welcome whatever Raava is doing, because I know either she's killing me, and the world loses another monster. Or she's saving me, and I will live a mortal life with my love, to be so blessed I would risk anything!

The monster fades and is silent, I feel tired, heavy. I fall asleep in the arms of Raava, "Thank you, I love you." Then the blackness takes me.

I wake up and the light nearly blinds me, I put my arm across my eyes to shield them from the sun... The sun! I look up and it's daytime. I look at my arm and it's pale, slightly yellow, human, unclawed. I touch my face, and it's like before the change. I feel my mouth, my teeth are normal human ones. I start crying. It worked! I'm human again! I stand up and I see red dots cloud my vision and I fall back onto the bed. Blood pressure! Fainting! Mortality! Heartbeat!

I lay there for a bit, feeling my heart beat in my chest. It's the most wonderful thing I've ever felt. Raava comes in and smiles at me, "Glad to see you're awake Asami, I was worried you may have lost too much blood last night." She looks down, "Sorry about that, I've never tried something that advanced before. You nearly died."

I slowly stand up, and walk over to her, I pull her into a hug. "It doesn't matter Raava. I didn't want to live like I was another second, if I had died it would have been a mercy." I pull back and look at my hands, "To be human again? It's a miracle. I promise to devote my life to making you as happy as possible."

She smiles at me and she pulls me into a kiss, it's sloppy, unpracticed. And it's wonderful, perfect. Then my stomach growls and we laugh. She takes me to the center of the village where everyone looks at her and me in awe. I take it they have a new respect for the power of their shaman.

A young man in half wolf form comes up to me, looking angry. "So, you're human now? You killed my friends two nights ago, you bitch!" He swipes at me and I dodge below his attack, I reach forward and grab is naked testicles, then squeeze.

He howls in pain and falls to the ground, I keep squeezing. "Just because I'm human, doesn't mean I'm less dangerous pup!" I tighten again to make a point, "I'm sorry your friends decided to kill humans, would you like to join them now? No? Good."

I release him and the wolves all quickly look away from me, I wipe my hand on my pants and continue walking. Raava looks amused and horrified, "Sorry about that Asami, I should have expected that."

I shake my head, "It's fine, although I moved slower than I would have liked." I look back at the recumbent wolf, "Fast enough I guess."

Raava laughs, "I'd say so, he always was an ass, good job there. Let's eat and we can get to know each other properly, again. For the first time."

I smile and take her hand, we head to breakfast, and I'm the happiest I've ever been.

\--------------------------

The next morning I wake up in the predawn light, I smile as I feel Raava pressed into my back, her arms wrapped around my torso. Yesterday was educational, it turns out I'm a Werewolf now. I don't mind, the new beast in me is less violent than the twisted Vampire I used to be. I'll have to return to the manor to tell the rest of the white lotus what happened. They must think I've let my depression get to me, or that something truly powerful and terrifying killed me.

Raava starts to stir and I turn to face her, she smiles with tired eyes at me, "Hey."

I smile back, "Good morning sweety, did you sleep well?" I ask.

She kisses my cheek, "Of course, you're here with me." She frowns, "I don't know why I said that. It must be Korra's influence, I dreamed about being her last night. She loved you so much Asami, I can't tell whose feelings I'm feeling right now."

I nod in understanding, "It's okay, we don't have to move this fast if you don't feel comfortable. I'm still trying to figure out if I care for you or if I'm trying to replace Korra." I sit up in the bed, facing away from Raava, "I need to head to my old home, tell the hunters that I'm alive and I'm retiring."

Raava sits up and places a hand on my shoulder, "I don't recommend that Asami, you're an afflicted Werewolf. It's hard for the afflicted to control themselves when they first turn. Those of us born into it learn to control the beast inside as we grow up."

I start laughing and pat her cheek, "I'll be fine Raava, this new beast in me is like an adorable puppy, she just wants to hunt and feel the rush of wind in her fur. Compared to the beast I used to have she's friendly."

Raava blushes, it makes her white face turn bright pink, "Just be careful when you go, they might not trust you to control yourself."

I nod, "I'll be back as soon as I can, either late tonight or early tomorrow. I'm leaving after we eat breakfast."

Raava nods, "I understand, I'll be waiting for you."

With that we head to breakfast, I happily eat the slow roasted beef, the wolves don't use tools to eat. Many turn into their wolf form to eat the meat, others just tear it up with their hands and stuff their faces. Eating solid food is still new to me, and I end up one of the sloppiest. After breakfast I bid the pack farewell, Raava bids me safe journey and swift return. The rest of the pack just narrows their eyes at me, I don't blame them for it. I was the nightmare creature that killed their whole pack. It's taken them a century to get back to full strength.

I strip out of my clothes (leaving my necklace with Korra's ashes in it on) and Raava takes them, I turn and change into the wolf, I run on all fours to my old home. I revel in the feeling of freedom, running through the forest. The wolf in my mind comes to the forefront, she seems to smile, she's happy to be free and running. _"Listen to me little wolf."_ I think to her, _"I'll let you run like this, let you hunt the deer. But we will never taste the flesh of humans, is that clear?"_

She frowns then nods to me, accepting my terms. I smile back at her and we pick up the pace. I like this new beast in me, she's much more reasonable, no need to cage her like the Vampire. A simple leash will do for my little wolf. Soon we're leaving the woods, I keep to the fields as I make my way to the manor. I don't want to get shot by a farmer protecting his livestock. Not that it would kill me, if it's not silver the wound would heal quickly, but it would still hurt.

As I near the gate to the manor I slow down, I see the guards standing on the other side of the iron fence. They see me approach, they know I'm a Werewolf, they're well trained, I should know, I trained them. They point their crossbows at me, not in menace, just a warning to be civil. I turn back into my human form and walk slowly to the gate, "I come in peace, I'm Asami Sato, the Dark Avenger."

They look shocked, then angry, "You can't be her, she's a Vampire, old and powerful."

I sigh, "Suyin Beifong the 3rd, it's me. I trained you since you were a little girl." I turn to the other one, "You're Mako's grandson, Jin, I helped Ikki midwife your birth. The Werewolves saved me, made me mortal, let me in and explain to the other leaders what's going to happen now that I'm not a Vampire."

They still seem in shock, but accept that I wouldn't know their names unless I was myself. After the gates are opened, I'm given a robe to wear as I'm led to the manor. "Sorry about that ma'am, I didn't know Vampirism could be cured." Suyin III says.

I smile at her, and she blushes, "It's fine, I'm told I'm the first one to successfully be cured this way. The Vampire has to be willing, and it takes a powerful Werewolf shaman to perform the bite. And even then I'm still a Werewolf myself, so it's not all perfect, but at least I'm a less evil monster now."

I hear a gruff female voice shouting at people inside as we approach, I smile, knowing who it is. "Keep looking! She couldn't have just vanished! If she isn't dead I'm going to kill her for this!"

Suyin III and Jin look nervous, but I'm still smiling when we enter. I see captain Beifong haranguing our young hunters and my smile broadens, she takes after her great aunt Lin to the point I sometimes call her that, forgetting that she's Opal and Bolin's daughter, Naoki. She turns her angry eyes to me and groans, "Now what? Are you from the Werewolf pack? Do you know where the Dark Avenger went after she visited you?"

"You could say that Naoki." Her whole body goes stiff after hearing my voice, recognizing it, "I'm Asami Sato, the wolves cured me, after a fashion. I'm here to resign as a hunter in the white lotus."

Naoki becomes angry, "You what? No. This is some silly trick! Take this bitch away to the dungeons I'll deal with her later."

I snarl, reaching into the robe and pulling out my necklace, "It's me Naoki, these are Korra's ashes, I've carried them ever since she died. Don't you dare speak to me like that again!" I calm myself and replace the vial, "I just want to retire now, I've been fighting for far too long."

Naoki seems to finally believe me, the rest of the hunters are looking in awe at me, and in fear of what Naoki is going to say next. "I'm glad you're cured, if it's really you. But you can't just retire, looking at you, you have a good forty years left in that body before it's too old to fight."

I narrow my eyes and I feel my body grow in size as I half transform for the first time, the robe ripping off my body as I do so. "I have been hunting monsters for over a hundred years child! Don't you dare dictate to _me_ when I have had enough fighting!" My voice sounds alien, feral. Some of the hunters have drawn weapons and are about to attack me, I force myself to calm down. I shrink back into my human form, I wave at the hunters to back down, "Sorry, I'm in control. I just don't like your attitude right now Naoki."

She nods, the whole time I was transformed the only clue that she was afraid was a slight widening of her eyes. "Fine, you want to leave us without our best weapon against the nasties of the world? Go ahead, grab what you came for and leave."

I frown, "Naoki, you have a hundred hunters in this base alone. You don't need me anymore." I look down at my hands, "I've seen more blood and death in my four hundred years on this earth than I care to count. Much of that death was caused by me. I have no illusions about what will happen to me after I finally die. I'm evil." I look around the room, "Do you all understand? I'm not some special person, some holy savior. I'm just a woman that turned into a victim, then became a monster. It was only through the love of one person that I was able to carve out a life outside of evil. She's been dead for twenty years."

I start to tear up at the memory of her passing, "I am mortal now, I can die without having to do so in combat, or suicide. I don't have to spend every day wishing that the next monster will be strong enough to kill me. I don't have to worry about the monster inside me deciding to kill you all. I don't have to wonder when I'll get depressed enough to just end my own life." I look around the room again, no one will meet my gaze, "So yes, I'm retiring. I'm going to live with the wolves that saved me from my fate, I owe them what's left of my life for that."

Most are still looking at the floor, but I see Suyin III looking at me with tears in her eyes. I turn and leave, having said everything that's needed saying. They can keep the rest of Korra's ashes, and my old home. I have my vial, as long as a piece of Korra is with me that's my home.

I'm about to change back into the wolf after removing the tattered robe when I hear a shout from behind me, "Asami wait!" Suyin III is running towards me, she takes her belt off, the one with two silvered daggers on it. She holds it out to me, "Please, take this with you, as a sign of friendship."

I smile at her and turn into my wolf form, then sit down and wait as she ties the belt snugly onto my chest. Once she's done she smiles at me, tears in her eyes, "I'm going to miss you Asami. I wish you well, wherever you go."

I nod and lick her hand, then I turn and run back to Raava's pack, my pack, my home.


	2. The Dark One Returns

I'm mixing some herbs together when I hear someone enter my hut, I look up to see a old and powerful werewolf looking grim. "Can I help you Kurzan? I need to finish mixing this salve."

He nods, "You can tell the Dark One to leave and never come back once she returns."

I sigh and put my pestle down, "No, I won't do that. She's one of us now, willingly changed by my own bite. To abandon her now would be a crime against the traditions of our people. As the shaman of our pack I cannot allow that."

Kurzan snarls at me, "Tradition?! You speak of tradition, you who turned her from a mutant freak of a vampire into one of our people! Why would you do something so rash! It's never been done, yet you invoke tradition as the means to protect her from me?"

I let out a snarl of my own, "She's the lover of my past life! She's not the monster we are taught to believe she is!" I try to calm myself as I continue, "She's in pain Kurzan, all the time. You should have seen her the night she killed Jory, Shin, and Daw, she cried at their deaths. And she also cried at the death of the human boy they killed, never forget she was justified in her actions that night."

His face softens and he reaches out and places his hand on my shoulder, "I'm sorry Raava, I forget how soft and kind you are. You like to see the best in everyone around you. I don't like that you invited her to join us without coming to me, your alpha, first, but I will respect your choice. But she's on her own to find her place in the pack hierarchy, I won't stop any who challenge her to combat."

I smile up at him, "Thank you, that will be enough. I'm sorry I didn't come to you before I changed her, but the dawn was approaching and I needed to try."

He nods and ruffles my hair, "I know that now, and I think it's a good thing on the whole. I'm just uncomfortable with her here, I was raised by those who saw her when she committed genocide against our people. The stories I've heard about her, how she bathed in the blood of our people still haunt me on stormy nights."

"I know, but again, we attacked innocent humans, she was defending them from us. I want to try and reunite our people with the humans, think of what we could do in a such a world."

Kurzan sighs, "You're still young and idealistic, the humans have long reviled us as monsters. Confusing an afflicted feral wolf with one of our people. It's best if we stay away from them, only taking what the pacts allow, and hunting for the rest of our needs."

I know it's best not to argue directly with Kurzan when he goes into "alpha mode", so I drop the subject and he leaves me to my herbs. I finish my work for the day and head out to wait for Asami to return. I smile at the thought of her coming back to me, to live with us as one of our people. Most (as Kurzan has indicated) would see her killed on sight, but I know her from my past life, and from when I bit her to transform her into an afflicted. I gained a sense of her then, she's old, very old. And she has a sadness in her, she's seen and caused so much death, I don't know how she keeps on going.

I hear the sentries howl that a wolf returns, I smile and move to meet her. She comes into view in human form, naked but for the belt with daggers and her necklace of ashes. Before I can meet her Jaune (a powerful warrior) steps forward and growls at her, "I challenge you Dark One, if you are one of us you must accept or be banished."

She sighs and looks at me, I frown and offer my hand, "I'll take your weapons, as shaman I declare that all duels on this day will be in human form with the winner as the one who pins the other for three seconds. I want no deaths in our pack today."

Asami hands me her daggers and whispers to me, "You expect more challengers don't you? That's why the day-long rules?" I simply nod and take the weapons from her and Jaune.

They square off, Jaune's well toned muscles and scars shining with sweat in the late afternoon sun. Asami looks relaxed, she's tied her hair back and looks almost serene, waiting for Jaune to make his move. He does and in a blur ends up on the ground with his right arm twisted and Asami on top of him. He howls in pain, but can't move to throw her off his back without dislocating his shoulder. As soon as the duel is over Sera (a small but agile huntress) steps forward and challenges her.

Again they square off, this time it's harder for Asami to pin her opponent, Sera is quick and slippery. With Sera's short hair, Asami is at a disadvantage. Sera manages to grab hold of Asami's hair after dodging an attack, Asami doesn't miss a beat and does a backflip, ending up behind Sera. She puts Sera's neck in a choke hold then sticks her knee into her back, forcing her down. Sera taps out without waiting for time.

Asami is panting from the exertion, but doesn't get the chance to rest as yet another hunter, Mux, comes forward and challenges her. Duel after duel she fights, win after win, each one coming at a greater and greater cost of her energy. Finally it looks like the last challenger is ready, he's smiling as he approaches her, she's kneeling down after the last match, breathing heavily and sweating profusely. Her hair has come loose and is matted with mud from the sweat and dirt, it sticks to her face. "Are you ready to fight our best 'Dark One'?" He says her title mockingly and spits onto her hair, it's an insult that sends a gasp through the pack. But then Durga always has been mean, he lacks the kinder nature of his brother, Kurzan, our alpha.

Asami simply nods, then speaks, "If I may have a moment, I need to do one thing." 

He laughs at her, "You have ten seconds, then I'm attacking you, ready or not!"

She nods, comes towards me and takes one of the daggers she came into the pack with. She holds her hair out in a tight bundle then slices through it, one clean cut and she's done. She hands the dagger back to me and turns to face Durga.

He charges into her, she sidesteps him and punches his ribs as he pases her. He growls in pain, but doesn't slow down as he rotates and lunges at her again. He grabs for her neck, meaning to choke her as he pushes her down. She actually smiles before he reaches her, then she dodges under his attack and grabs _his_ neck as he's flying through the air. I hear him choke as her hand smashes into his neck, he lands on top of her, but he's in no condition to take advantage of it, she summons the last of her strength and pushes him off of herself and onto his back, one hand on his throat the other holding his right arm, and her with right leg she holds his left arm down, and pins him for the win.

Victory called she releases him and falls to the ground herself, she's a mess of sweat, dirt and blood. Her black hair is still matted, covered in the same dirt, blood and sweat she is. I move forward and give her a water skin, she drinks it greedily thanking me with her eyes as she does so.

Durga is furious and is being held back from attacking Asami by three other warriors. "Be still brother!" Kurzan yells, "You lost! She is one of us tenfold after today, welcome your new sister!" Kurzan turns to the pack and they send up a victory howl, I smile, they respect her now. Not simply out of fear, but truly out of respect for her, all those that feared she would turn on us or lose control have seen that even at her most desperate she follows our rules. Those that wanted to fight her have done so, thus the pack is united, and welcomes it's newest member. I howl with them, adding my voice to the choir, I look down and see Asami smiling, tired but triumphant.

Durga just glares, he won't accept her the way the others have, I don't dwell on him as I see Sera come forward with a bucket of water. She takes a cloth and starts cleaning Asami, starting with her back and moving downward. I join her, taking another cloth and cleaning her hair. Soon Asami is clean from the waist up and is looking calm and tired after the hours of fighting. Sera and I take her to my hut and lay her on my cot, Asami falls asleep immediately, softly snoring. I lean down and kiss her forehead, I look up and see Sera quickly look away and blush.

We head outside, I smile at her, "Thank you for bringing the water to clean her."

Sera blushes again, "I felt guilty shaman, I didn't know so many would challenge her, if I had..."

I stroke her back with my right hand, "It's okay Sera, I know you were close to Jory before he left us. You had every right to seek solace in combat against her for his death."

She looks sad for a moment, "I _was_ close to him once, but after he started talking about 'taking our place' in the world I couldn't be his friend. He was like a brother to me shaman, but after I found out he killed people, I forsook him."

I nod, "I understand. And please, it's Raava to you, you're my sister, don't be so formal."

She smiles at that, "I didn't want to undermine your authority Raava. I know that many don't treat you with the respect you deserve yet."

I wave her worries away, "Maybe in public you can get away with not using my name, but here, alone, we're just sisters."

Sera laughs and then gets a serious look on her face, she nods her head towards my hut, "And what's she? Where will she fit in with the pack? I know you've said she was your past life's lover, but that doesn't mean she needs to be yours. You can have anyone in the pack, you're beautiful and many would be honored to dedicate their lives to making you happy for your past life's service to the world."

I frown, "It's not that simple Sera. I always feel like my status as shaman and a white fur puts distance between me and the pack. I don't want to have a mate or mates that simply dote on me out of a sense of duty, I want a lover, an equal."

Sera gets a pained look on her face, "She's not much better if that's your worry Raava. You gave her the gift of mortality, she feels she owes you the rest of her life for that, you've said as much to me before." She rests her hand on my shoulder, "I just want you to understand that no matter who you choose, they may feel obligated to 'dote' on you. You shouldn't base your happiness on that alone."

I sigh, "I know, I know. But she was so overwhelmed when she found out I'm her lover's reincarnation. She was on the verge of giving up on life Sera, of just waiting in a field for the sun to turn her to ash." I start crying at the thought, though if it's my own thought or a remnant of Korra I do not know.

Sera pulls me into a hug and rests her forehead on mine, "Hey, hey. It's okay, she's here now, and the pack has taken her in. You don't have to rush things, you have a whole lifetime to figure this out."

I sniff my tears away and smile at Sera, "Thank you. You're right, I just need to figure out what I'm really feeling. I should tell her that I need time to figure out what I feel when she wakes up."

Sera chuckles and pulls away, "That may be well into tomorrow, me and the pack tired her out today. It's good for the pack to know she's truly mortal now."

I nod, "I agree, I'm still amazed I was strong enough to induce the change. It's never worked on a vampire before, but then a vampire has never been so willing before either."

"Was it willingness or something darker? You said she was suicidally depressed, maybe she just gave up, and thought you'd kill her. Maybe it's in her letting go that she allowed the wolf spirit into herself." Sera shakes her head, "I should leave the spiritual stuff to you sis, I just hunt things."

I smile and ruffle her inch long brown hair, "Yeah, that sounded like something I said on my spirit quest." We laugh at the old joke, it's good to know my sister at least still loves me without judgment. And that we can still talk like sisters, and not hunter and shaman.

Sera pats my cheek, "Goodnight sis, I'll see you in the morning."

I smile and ruffle her hair again, "Goodnight Sera, I love you too."

I head back into my hut and see Asami sleeping on my cot, she looks adorable, a little bit of drool coming out of her mouth. Her hair needs to be trimmed after her dagger slice, it did it's job in keeping it out of her face, but it's a mess now. I'm moving a lock of it out of her eyes before I even know I've moved. I hear her groan in her sleep, then she goes silent again. Glad that I didn't wake her I set up a blanket on the floor for myself tonight, I turn into my wolf form to keep warm and curl up to sleep myself.

I'm about to drift off when I hear Asami faintly sniffing, I look up and see her face has tears running down it. She starts moaning words, they're slurred, hard to make out, even with my wolf ears, "Kor...d-...orry...ack."

I climb onto the cot beside her, she's having a nightmare, I'm hoping having a warm soft body will help calm her, make it less painful. I still don't know what I want as far as my relationship with her goes, we did sleep together last night, but that was a heat of the moment thing. I just want to make her calm tonight, and figure out what she means to me later.

She grabs onto my fur and sighs, "Korra...you...ame...nk...you."

She falls back into a peaceful rest and I close my eyes and join her, I wonder what tomorrow will be like. I hope she doesn't panic when she wakes next to my wolf form.


	3. Outsider

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Raava lays out some boundaries for her and Asami, and the pack is uneasy with a former Vampire being made a full member of the pack.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long, I lost my drive to write (honestly still haven't gotten it back). But I hope you enjoy this! :)

I wake up with Asami petting my ear, I look over and she smiles at me, "Good morning Raava, I don't remember you being this hairy."

I roll my eyes and jump off the bed, changing into my human form as I stretch my muscles. I look over at her and she's laying on her side, smiling at me and looking over my body. I grab my one dress and put it on, she frowns, "What's wrong Raava? Did I do something wrong?"

I shake my head, "No, I just need to say something to you, and I feel it would be better to be dressed for it. You should dress too." I point to her clothes she arrived as a vampire with a few nights ago. "It's serious, and about us, and the pack and where you and I fit in it."

She nods and puts on the shirt and pants, then sits on the bed and waits for me to speak. I collect my thoughts and start pacing the room as I speak, "I really like you Asami, and I think I could love you some day. But I don't know if what I feel for you comes from myself or my deep connection to Korra. I also don't know if you are in love with me, or feel a debt to me, or if you just want to be with Korra again." I take a deep breath and Asami is about to speak and I cut her off, "And I don't think any of these are bad, I'm not judging you or myself for these thoughts. But until I figure out what's going on in my head I don't want to be romantically involved with you. Please don't take this as a rejection, I really do like you, okay?"

She raises an eyebrow asking if I'm done, I nod, "Okay. I get it Raava, you need to work out what's going on in your head. I'm sorry if I pushed you into this too soon, I need to remember that you're not Korra. I keep forgetting, you're so much like her Raava."

I nod again, "I believe you, Asami. And it's okay, I got just as confused as you did and jumped right into this. I think we need to do our own thing for a while, just to see how we really feel, then we can choose our paths with clear heads."

Asami smiles at me, "That sounds very wise, and also the kind of thing Korra would never have said." Her answer shocks me, she kept going on about how we were so similar, "Korra is the love of my life, I carry her ashes with me even now. But she was never one to take time to think things through like this, to wait and see what could happen before acting. At least that's how she was when I met her at about your age, she grew into a wise and mature woman. I'm glad to see her wisdom seems to have been passed on to you." She starts crying and I sit next to her and rub her shoulders as she leans into me.

"Shh, it's okay. You miss her a lot don't you?" She nods as she sobs, "I heard you say her name in your sleep last night, it sounded like she was leaving you, and you blamed yourself." She stiffens and looks up at me.

"I haven't had a dream in four hundred years Raava, vampires don't dream, I don't remember having one last night either."

I pat her head, "Oh, you had one, it sounded bad. That's why I cuddled up with you. You called me Korra and held me tight."

She lifts her head and looks at me agast, "I'm sorry Raava, I shouldn't have called you that. You're right, we need space to figure our shit out. If I'm calling out for Korra in my sleep I need to deal with her death, for real this ti-" She starts crying again cutting off her own words. I hold her to me, I can't imagine what she's going through. She's been suppressing her grief for literally as long as I've been alive.

She keeps crying for hours, I bring her water and she curls up on my bed, asking to be left alone. That she needs to be away from my eyes, they remind her of Korra. I cry a little too, and leave her be. I go and look for Ferah, my aunt, she can look after Asami while she grieves. I find her with some of the pups, telling a story about how the moon is really a human girl who gave her life to save the world. I wait for her to be done and dismiss the kids before I talk to her. She looks at me and waves me into silence before I can say anything, "I'll go check on the Dark One as soon as I can get these old bones to work child. Help a old woman up will you?"

I laugh as I give her my hand, she doesn't even use that arm to help herself up, it's a excuse to whisper in my ear. "Raava, you shouldn't get involved with her. I know you're young and she's exciting, far more exciting than crushing herbs and sewing up wounds. But she's old, and her mind might not survive the change, you have to be ready to end her if she loses control."

I look at her agast, "End her? What do you mean about her mind?"

She grunts and takes me to a place at the edge of the village, "I mean, that mortals aren't meant to live for four hundred years child. That we don't know if she can handle all those memories, if they'll fade or disappear entirely." She looks at me in sympathy, "It's a good thing you've tried to do for her Raava, it is. But you have to be ready for her to forget everything that wasn't important to her."

I start crying and nod, Ferah pulls me into a hug and rubs my back as I cry into her arms. "She's seen so much death aunt Ferah. Do you think she'll forget that at least?"

She shakes her head, "I don't know, all I know is that she's lived far too long for a mortal. Which is what she is now. I'll go stay with her, I'll let you know if she starts to lose her mind. Who knows, she may keep all her memories and I'm a crazy old lady scaring her niece."

I gently slap her shoulder as I pull out of the hug, "You're not that old aunt Ferah!"

She chuckles at me, "I see you didn't deny the 'crazy' part." She winks at me and then turns around. "I'll go check on her now, you go get you mind off of it. The other pups your age are talking in the village center, just so you know."

I thank her then head to the village center, wishing now that I had left my dress at home, I feel awkward walking around like this. But I feel better when I see Sera talking to her friends. Sera smiles when I approach but it doesn't save me from seeing the others close up and look away from me. "Hey Raava! How is Asami?" Sera asks glaring at her friends, I smile at that, she got her anger out already on Asami. I'm glad she'll support me on this.

"She's doing... Okay. She's been through a lot and the change is hard enough when people don't have her fight for hours on end." I say this glaring at Sera's friends and patting her shoulder to let her know I don't blame her for that.

Mux looks at me angrily, "And whose fault is it that we have a vampire in the pack now, huh? Wasn't me that turned that bitch!"

Sera punches him on the jaw, sending him flying onto his ass, "That's my sister you're talking to! She's you're shaman! Show some respect! She's spent her whole life learning our ways, traditions and magic! Don't ever speak to her like that again!"

I blush at Sera's defense of me, I pet her head and stroke her shoulder to calm her down. Mux stands up and bows his head, "I'm sorry, I spoke out of turn shaman."

He almost sounds sincere, I pinch his ear and then pat his head, admonishment followed by forgiveness. He raises his head but keeps his eyes low out of respect. The others pat him on the back or nuzzle him, showing solidarity and love. I turn my gaze away and look at Sera, she's the only one who has ever felt comfortable nuzzling me. Everyone else fears it would be disrespectful. "So what are you guys doing today?" I ask to change the subject.

Nils smiles at me with lowered eyes, he's always had a bit of a crush on me that I find cute, but he's too submissive for my taste. "We were going to go for a hunt, Alpha says we need to prepare a feast for the Dar- I mean Asami. To welcome her as our new sister."

I smile back at him, causing him to blush, "That's a great idea, she'll be hungry once she's feeling better."

Sera is the only one that looks concerned, "Is she okay? Did she come down with a fever from the change? That happens to the afflicted sometimes right?"

I pat her shoulder, "No, it's not that. But thanks for being concerned, she's past the point where fevers would manifest. No, it's more to do with the emotional changes, she has a whole new host of hormones to deal with now that she's mortal again." I pause seeing the blank looks on their faces, I keep forgetting that not everyone has shaman training, "I mean that as a vampire she didn't see and feel things the same way. It was deadened, numb. Now she's alive and it's like when your legs fall asleep after you've sat on them too long. Only for her it's her whole body, mind and soul, all at once."

Nils whistles through his teeth, "Damn! And she fought off how many of us last night? And Durga too? So is she going to be one of our warriors? I'd like someone like that protecting me!"

Mux glares at him but Sera and I smile, I even ruffle his hair, "I don't know. She's spent most of her life, (four hundred years by the way) as a warrior. I don't know if she wants to keep living that life."

Sera blushes, "Four hundred? Damn! I knew vampires were long lived, but that's a really long time! I thought that most went insane and psychopathic at two hundred! What kept her sane?"

I don't hide my surprise, "Where did you hear that about them all going insane at two hundred? I've never heard of that before."

Sera mumbles under her breath, I glare at her and she sighs, "I heard it from Durga, it's how he convinced a lot of us to fight her. He said that all vampires after they work out their bloodlust build a harem or worse. He said that Asami did that with the white lotus hunters. That she turned them into her playthings, and that she wanted to be the last monster in the world, so she could rule it."

I think back on every moment I've spent with Asami, before and after changing her. She was never at all like that, deadly, efficient and scary sure. But she has a sadness to her, a reluctance to do harm, I shake my head, "That's not Asami. She may be very old and powerful, but she doesn't like killing, and I doubt she enjoyed taking over the minds of others."

The others nod, except for Mux who says he needs to get ready for the hunt. I hope there are more like Sera and Nils in the pack, and that most don't agree with Mux and Durga. I leave my friends to head out for their hunt, I make my way to my hut. I don't hear much from inside before I step in.

Inside I see Ferah and Asami staring at each other, neither of them blinking, just looking into the eyes of the other. Dominance games, I didn't expect Ferah to do this with Asami, something must have happened. Ferah and Asami wave for me to sit as they keep eye contact. How long have they been doing this? Asami smirks and I look over at Ferah and see her eyes are watering, she blinks then curses under her breath. Asami starts to laugh and blinks herself as she turns to look at me. I feel my face flush at the sound of her laugh and the look in her eyes.

"Hey Raava, I was just kicking your aunt's ass at this staring thing you guys do. It's been fun!"

Ferah grumbles, "She cheats I swear she cheats! Nobody can hold their eyes open that long!"

This elicits yet more laughter from Asami, "Oh, now don't take it personally Ferah. I'm well over three hundred years your elder, I have practice staring down people. Granted I can't bend them to my will that way anymore, but I never liked doing that anyway."

I smile to myself at getting that part right about her, that she didn't like controlling people. "Why are you two even playing dominance games? What happened?"

It's Ferah's turn to laugh as she sits back down on the floor, "Nothing happened, I was just telling her to expect to have to do this with some of the pack that don't respect her yet. Then we made a bet about which of us could hold our stare longer, and she's won all three games!" She thumps her fist on the ground in frustration, but smiles to undercut any menace from the gesture.

Asami nods, "So that will be three bowls of your best stew, correct?"

I start giggling and Asami raises an eyebrow at me. I get control of myself, "Sorry, but aunt Ferah may have 'lost' Asami, but she played you from the start. She'd have made as much of her wonderful stew as you wanted! She says we all need meat on our bones, that we're too skinny. And she's said this about Durga (the last person you fought last night)... Last week."

Ferah just smiles and nods, "You all do need to get some meat on there. Look at you two, all muscle, barely any curves, back in my day a woman was kept well fed and had lots of puppies. Granted those were hard times, and we had three wives to every male, but still, we ate a bunch and had lots of sex. All night!"

I blush and Asami giggles, "Aunt Ferah!" I yell as indignantly as I can manage while laughing.

Aunt Ferah just ruffles my hair and keeps cooking, "What? We did! It was great, there was none of this long courtship you youngin's seem to do these days. Just a simple, 'hey you're sexy, wanna fuck?' and it happened. All this courtship is bad for your health I swear, too much time thinking and talking, not enough sex!"

By this point I must be completely red from my shoulders up as I try to avoid looking at Asami's eyes. She's just leaning back on the side of my bed and laughing, it's a wonderful sound, I just wish I wasn't so mortified while listening to it. Thankfully aunt Ferah stops talking as she serves the stew and leaves shortly thereafter. Asami and I thank her as we sip at our bowls.

Asami practically inhales hers then ladles another bowl, "So your aunt is fun, since we're on a break, mind if I shag her?"

I choke on my food as Asami giggles at my consternation, "Isn't she a little ol-." I stop myself from finishing that idiotic question.

Asami pats my shoulder, "Don't worry, I'm just messing with you. I need to sort out my head before I do anything like that. Sorry if I upset you, but you should have seen the look on your face as she was talking! I had to tease you a little."

I sigh and go back to eating my food, "It's fine, she's right though, the pack used to be (and still is) very casual about sex and mating. After you punished us a hundred years ago, the pack had to work hard to replenish our numbers. It's still common for a wolf to have many partners, polygamy is the norm in the pack. Now that we don't have to worry about breeding as much, that's opened up to a very loose idea of 'mating'. Women sometimes have as many partners as the men, and neither is exclusive to that gender."

Asami finishes chewing some meat as she nods, "Okay... Why are you telling me this? You don't have to explain your traditions, and even less justify them. You seem to be a good people, on the whole."

I smile at her, "I just thought you should be aware of it, in case you see three or four way flirting going on."

She raises an eyebrow, "Four way flirting... I'm not even sure how that works logistically." She seems to think about it for a moment, then nods to herself and continues eating.

I stand up, deciding to change the subject, "Anyway, I need to do my shaman duties; making salves, potions, and the like. If you're feeling up to it you should have a look around the pack, get to know them better, now that you're one of us."

Asami thinks for a moment then nods, "That's a good idea, I'll try not to get challenged to another fight." She winks at me, "I'll see if your Alpha can get me somewhere else to sleep. At least while we sort ourselves out."

I smile, "Kurzan is his name, and I think he likes you after your fights last night. Just stay clear of Durga, he doesn't like losing."

She nods, "I'll keep that in mind. I'll talk to you later Raava."

With that she leaves and I finally feel safe to undress and start taking some dried herbs to mix together. I hope Asami doesn't get into any trouble today, I'd hate to have to tend to the wounds of her assailant.


End file.
